


Don't Play with Knives

by Duckseamail



Category: Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms, Fitchers Vogel | Fitcher's Bird (Fairy Tale), La Barbe bleue | Bluebeard - Charles Perrault
Genre: And I made it fun, Bluebeard started killing his wives, By thinking of it like fanfiction, F/M, Gen, This is a prequel/explanation for why, also, so i decided to post it, this was a school assignment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-27 22:37:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16228718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duckseamail/pseuds/Duckseamail
Summary: James finds an interesting rock on the way to the local docks for a business deal<~>Short summary, I know. But that really is all the story is about, basically. Also, I'm so annoyed that the tags aren't working. I've tried fixing then like five times. Whatever I don't care anymore.





	Don't Play with Knives

“Bye, James!” Emma called as he walked through the kitchen on his way out the door. She was using one of the big knives to cut stale bread into small pieces. James assumed she would give the pieces to the birds in the garden. He waved back at her while he pulled on his new coat that he got specifically to make a good impression for the business deal he would make at the docks later that day.

<~>

He walked along the road in the wagon tracks that were slightly muddy from the rainy season, thinking of how he would get the most money out of the business deal at the docks. James wasn’t watching the road and as such didn’t see the rock half buried in the dirt. His foot connected and down he went into the mud. He swore as he got to his knees, and gave the rock a sharp kick, which turned out to be a bad idea because as it launched out of the ground, more mud splattered across his face, blocking his sight for a moment. James sighed and brought the sleeve of his already ruined jacket up to wipe his eyes as clear as he could. He blinked his eyes a few times, and as he got up a sparkle caught his eye. It was the rock?

James walked across the road and looked at the rock. Or at least, he thought it was the rock he kicked because this one was oddly shiny, and as he picked it up, it felt smooth and round, and nothing like any of the rocks Emma had found and brought home for her collection. It was for that very reason that James picked it up, and slipped it into his coat pocket, before continuing on his way.

On the road, he had found that he was dwelling on all his worries. How much money would be left over after paying for his and Emma’s house? Would he become a successful businessman? While he was thinking all these thoughts, he had pulled the rock from his pocket and started rolling it around in his hand. It was actually kind of mesmerizing, and James had to keep shaking his head to bring his focus away from the shining rock, and back to the road.

“`Lo, James, heard you just got married!” a hired hand that James had seen on previous trips here waved a hand in greeting, but instead of waving back in the happy manner he usually would, he walked by quickly with his face set and focused. 

He needed to make this deal; he was fairly well off, but what if he was robbed? It was always good to have a backup plan. James rubbed at the smooth surface of the rock for reassurance.

James spotted the man who he was going to talk to a few feet further down the dock by a large boat. He was wearing a sharply pressed suit and his shoes were shining without a speck of mud on them. He continued fiddling with the rock, and it felt like it was lending him energy, allowing him to see this man clearly. It was like a fog parting from around the businessman. 

James could see that this man wasn’t planning on making an honest deal with him. The suit and shoes were a front, to get James to trust him, and then steal all of the money. It didn’t matter that this was an employee of a company James had worked with before. Anyone could be a thief. He had to have stolen money before to be able to afford those clothes anyway.

James spun around and marched back towards the road leading home. He’d have to tell Emma to watch out for seemingly trustworthy people that would really end up harming her. He ignored the confused shouts of the man calling him back and asking about the deal. He had to get home.

James flung open the door. On the way back he had been tossing the rock back and forth in his hands, deep in thought. The closer he got to his house, the more he realized that thieves were everywhere and he should pick up the pace and protect his money. 

“Emma?” he called out into the empty hall. Where was she? He needed to talk to her. He walked through the kitchen and glanced at the knife from earlier still lying on the counter. He rubbed at the smooth surface of the rock. It never hurt to carry a knife for defense. James grabbed the wide handle and continued walking, searching for Emma.

“Over here!” luckily she had heard him and called out from the empty room that she was dusting. It would make the perfect place to display her collections of rocks and shells.

James walked into the room and looked around as his wife turned to greet him. At first, he only saw an empty room with Emma standing in the middle holding a feather duster in her hand, smiling. But then, the fog lifted. Or something. But James couldn’t take the time to decipher whether or not it was there before or not, because all of a sudden, he was able to see the truth. Emma wasn’t standing in an empty room, she was in the room that had all of the money from his job and her parents. She was holding a bag in her left hand, and it was already half full. 

His eyes widen as he took in the scene. Emma looked confused at being caught robbing him. Of course, she had thought James would be gone all day. She must have been planning to run after stealing everything. He was all of a sudden _extremely_ glad he had grabbed the butcher’s knife. 

“James? What...what are you doing?” Emma was backing away as James raised the knife.

“You won’t get away with this! I know what you're doing!” He had Emma cornered now. She wouldn’t steal the money that he had worked so hard to earn. Because she would be dead.

“James! I don’t know what you’re talking about! James! Stop!” She screamed as he brought the knife down. 

James looked at her. He had killed Emma. But it had been for a good reason, she was about to steal the money. He’ll just find another girl to marry, surely it wouldn’t be impossible to replace Emma, whom he had loved for years. He dropped the sharp knife and took the rock from his pocket again, and rolled it in his hand. 

He’d need to come up with a plan to make sure his next wife wasn’t a thief, though. And he’d need to get rid of Emma’s body. Then, an idea floated into his head. Just keep her here! If he kept Emma in the room, he’d need to lock it, but that gave him the perfect way to test his next wife. When he went away on business at the docks, he would give her the keys, and tell her not to open the door to this room. If she wasn’t a thief, she could easily follow those instructions, and if she was, well then it would seem obvious to her that the valuables were kept in this room! Except they wouldn’t be. He would have to make a special key. One that could tell him without a doubt whether or not she had entered. But, that was a problem for another day. Now, he had a letter to send to Emma’s family, telling them how she had died from a mysterious illness. 

The people who worked at the docks soon came to be wary of James. Because he always jovially told them that he had just gotten married and that the weather was perfect, with no fog in sight.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this was my five-page story for the fairy tales unit in English class. Thanks for reading! Hopefully, both those of you who read this far and my English teacher enjoyed this. Have a great day everyone! Please, Comment/Kudos it would really make my day.


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